Death of teacher Ed Pease at 48 saddens community

Tuesday

STRATHAM — Students and staff at the Cooperative Middle School are trying to come to grips with the sudden death of a popular teacher over the weekend.

STRATHAM — Students and staff at the Cooperative Middle School are trying to come to grips with the sudden death of a popular teacher over the weekend.

Special education teacher Ed Pease died Saturday at Exeter Hospital, as a result of a heart attack, according to SAU 16 Superintendent Michael Morgan. Pease was 48-years-old.

"I personally was shocked and saddened because he had been such a dedicated force at the Cooperative Middle School," Morgan said. "It will have a dramatic impact at the school."

Pease started teaching at CMS in 1997. Before that, he was a teacher in Newmarket for five years.

He was a member of Kiwanis, an international community service group, and for 10 years he advised the Kiwanis Builders Club — the middle school affiliate of Kiwanis. The club currently has more than 70 students.

Pease was also a coach for the eighth-grade girls soccer team, as well as multiple soccer and basketball teams in the area.

"Ed was the most dedicated teacher that you can imagine. He was so committed to his students each and every day and all his lesson planning," said CMS Principal Bill Furbush.

Pease was so respected that Furbush and other staff members had nominated him for the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year Award.

"Anyone who knew him was close to him. ...; You didn't know who he was, you knew him," said Chris Mazzone, Newmarket assistant principal and Pease's friend. "He was always about other people."

Mazzone started his teaching career at CMS before working in Newmarket and said that Pease was assigned to be his first-year mentor.

When Mazzone's first parent-teacher conference came in 2002, he was living in Concord. Pease brought Mazzone to his house to have dinner with his family and prepare for the conferences, so Mazzone did not have to drive back to Concord to get ready. Mazzone met Pease's family while he was there and soon became a family friend.

"It was great," he said. "I was very comfortable, I had great support and my tie was straight."

Mazzone also said that when teachers went to conferences they would all fill in their name tags to say "Hello, my name is Ed Pease."

During one conference, a woman came up to Mazzone — then wearing one of the Pease name tags — and said "You're not Ed Pease, I know Ed Pease."

"No matter where you go, he touched someone in the Seacoast area," Mazzone said.

Furbush said that Pease worked hard to help his students do well. He worked with children on their homework during his preparation period, helped Kiwanis Builders Club Members become "pillars of the community" and even brought in a sprinkled doughnut for one of his students.

"He was always available and willing to do whatever it takes to get what that child needed," Furbush said.

Pease did all of this, but he did not need recognition, according to Morgan.

"He would go out of the way all the time ...; without fanfare, without recognition," Morgan said. "He was a very humble guy."

This dedication and humility led to Pease becoming a staple in the communities he worked in.

"He used the role of teacher to become a fixture, not only in the Cooperative Middle School community, but in the Newmarket community," Mazzone said.

To help students and staff cope with the grief, CMS had a crisis team available on Monday.

"I can only say that our crisis team made up of guidance counselors, administrators, school nurse, school psychologist and others have worked extremely hard to assist students and staff during this difficult time," Furbush said. "We have put in place a great deal of supports and feel the students and staff are being well taken care of."

Pease is survived by his wife, Jeanne, and his daughter, Morgan, who attends Epping High School.

Visiting hours will be held 3-6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, as well as 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, at the Kent and Pelczar Funeral Home.

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